Broken Links
by Hari-Aisu
Summary: Bottomless Blue: Part III - Everyday he stared up at the clear boundary separating him from land, aching to be a part of a world that seemed light-years away. Somewhere under the sea… an adventure was about to be brought to life.
1. Our New World: Part I

A/N: … … Damn. Lol.

I tried to stay away. I'm even working on other stuff as I write this, darn it! But I… just couldn't resist… the _pull_…

Here's the drabble collection I said I wouldn't start until I was finished with another of my stories. Double damn. Lol. But in my defense, I just can't help myself! I have no self-control!

Le _sigh. _

This will include old and new A/U's; for those who don't know what I'm talking about, this is a sort of extension of my other drabble series, "Che Sarà, Sarà", which some of these A/U's will stem from (this one included). So basically, in order to understand some of the A/U's in this collection to the best of your ability, you'll most likely need to familiarize yourself with my other collection of drabbles, but it isn't necessary. I won't try to make it confusing, promise.

For those of you wondering and who have already have read CSS, welcome back to the Orphan A/U. Ha ha, yes, love me, I've brought them back! ^.^

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Our New World: __**Part I**_

* * *

Light brown eyes glistened as they kept themselves trained in front of them, the arms wrapped around the torso of the owner of said eyes tightening in response to the sudden silence now permeating the room.

"You worry too much, Raito-kun." L whispered against the 19-year-old's ear, the once-orphan practically trembling within his arms. "Soon, everything will be alright. Trust in me."

"I…" Wanting to curl up into the embrace and _just stop thinking_, Raito held onto his impulses and reigned in his self-control, not noticing just how tenuous his grip over his emotions actually were. "Is it… is it normal to be this scared, L? What we're doing… this… this isn't…"

"We've spent the better part of ten years running," L murmured against the boy's ear, his own exhaustion getting the best of him as he kept his lover close to his person, "how much longer can we keep doing this without finally falling apart, Raito?"

Raito said nothing as he closed his eyes, a salty sting assaulting his corneas as a warm breath of exhalation brushed the outer shell of his ear.

This was it.

After everything they'd both suffered, soon, with their newest plan about to be put into action…

They'd _both _be free.

Years of despair would be justified; they'd be able to live the lives they had always wanted _with each other_.

"I love you…" Raito muttered in his native tongue, the cold city lights pouring in through their apartment window and highlighting their thin silhouettes.

The pair of arms wrapped around his waist tightened for one split second before they fell lax against his sides and the body beside him (_cocooning him_) dropped into a light slumber.

However sleep did not come easily to Raito-

And it wouldn't for a long time thereafter.

* * *


	2. HAPPY FUN TIME with L and Raito: Part I

A/N: Ok, here is where we begin to have fun with this drabble collection!

Hope you enjoy our newest edition…

And trust me, if you aren't used to my neurotic changes of moods… you _will be _by the end of this collection. Lol.

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_HAPPY FUN TIME with L and Raito: __**Part I**_

* * *

"Sometimes… I wonder why you guys just don't get it over with."

L and Raito stared at the detective in front of them, chain jingling between them against the long space that both divided and pulled the detective towards the student.

"Why do you say that, Matsuda-san?" L shoved a large spoonful of donut-and-cake-speckled ice-cream (_Delicious_, L says… Raito thinks it looks more like _vomit_…) within his mouth before giving Matsuda a passing glance, already tuning out the moronic conversation at hand.

"It's just… c'mon. All these passive-aggressive 'I will prove you wrong!' temper-tantrum sissy-fights are just becoming so… _passé_." Matsuda flounced as he leaned against the desk, watching Raito give him a weirded out glance in return. "Why don't you two just… _admit_ **it** and go off into the nearest closet possible and get it over and done with already?"

"Admit what?" Raito blinked innocently, now fully interested in just _what _Matsuda was going with this. "What are we supposed to admit?"

"… … _Seriously?_" Matsuda's mouth fell open. "You are settled that much in the river we like to call de-nial?! No wonder you always seem like you have a stick up your ass! You have no one to pull it the hell out!"

"Hey!" Raito suddenly came to life, hazel eyes widening at the sudden insult (from _Matsuda _of all people).

Flailing his arms in a windmill motion, Matsuda turned to L, who was still munching away on his sexy dessert. "L, why haven't you just taken him in the back room and-!"

"And what, Matsuda-san?" L deadpanned as he paused mid-ultimate-ice-cream-gasm and finally tuned back into the conversation.

"… … You _know_." The usually-dim investigator waggled his eyebrows, making Raito shiver in disgust.

The detective blinked, the monotonous tone in his voice not shifting in the least.

"Know what?"

Matsuda sighed as he flailed his arms in pent-up frustration. "Do I have to draw you guys a damn diagram?! You know, do the things that adults do in their… '_spare time_'."

"… … Monopoly?" Both Raito and L spouted simultaneously, looking all the more serious.

Matsuda did not look the least bit amused. "_No_. The _other_ thing that adults do in their freaking 'spare time'!"

L pushed another spoonful of ice-cream/donut/cakey goodness within his mouth and relished in the taste of genius ingenuity and outrageous flavor.

"… … I'm still not getting your message, Matsuda-san."

"C'MON," standing up in what looked to be outrage (though with Matsuda, one could never be too sure), Matsuda gave the two genii a rather nasty-looking glare (by his standards, anyway), "what else would you need the damn chain for?!"

"… … Observation and surveillance." L stated without the slightest bit of hesitation, lips smothered in ice-cream.

Matsuda sweat-dropped in despair.

"What does the chain have to do with anything?" Raito naively pointed out, forgetting the insult aimed towards his anal tendencies for the sake of the conversation.

"Yagami-kun, you cannot possibly be a super genius at the age of 17 and still be allowed to be this naïve." Matsuda nearly hit his head against the desk mid-face-slam as both men still stared at him as if he were talking in gibberish and binary. "I mean, are you two in another world right now? Flying over Mars? Possibly thinking about each other naked…?"

Raito blinked once again.

"Huh?"

And that was the point that Matsuda officially felt himself snap.

"Do you REALLY want to know why I brought up the chain, and what uses you could POSSIBLY have for it?!"

"Uh…" Raito turned over to L, who turned over to his ice-cream, which sat there quietly, looking awesomely delicious. "O… k…?"

"MIND BLOWING KINKY ASS SEX, THAT'S WHAT!"

"W-WHAT?!" The youngest in the room felt his face burn with a sudden blush, eyes wide as plates.

"…"

L, on the other hand, was still concentrating on his dessert.

"EXACTLY!" Both L and Raito simply stared at Matsuda as he simmered in front of them before he pulled something out of his pocket-

"HERE! USE IT, AND USE IT GOOD, DAMN IT! WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE ANGRY, HORNY 'I WANT YOU, BUT WE MUSTN'T FOR THE SAKE OF THE INVESTIGATION!' DRAMA OR HALF-ASSED SEXUAL TENSION ANYMORE THAN WE NEED AIZAWA'S EVER-GROWING COLLECTION OF HAIR PRODUCTS CLOGGING UP THE EMPLOYEE BATHROOM! JUST… JUST **DO IT ALREADY **AND STOP WASTING ALL OF OUR DAMN TIME, YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTIC SEXUALLY-FRUSTRATED MORONS!"

And stomped away from the duo as he warped back into whatever plot-hole universe he had managed to crawl from.

A long stretch of silence descended over the two boys as Raito felt his jaw unhinge in surreptitious shock and L chewed on his _awesome_mixture of sweets mixed within the ice-cream-tastic inventiveness still sitting on the table.

"Is that… a tube of lube and a condom?" Raito muttered as he finally pulled himself together, not noticing as L's eyes then lit up with glee.

"… … Does this mean I can sex-up Raito-kun in the investigation room without having to face any consequences?!"

Raito sputtered as L began to hum his little happy-song, feeling even more insulted than before.

"Who said it'd be _you_ doing the fucking?!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"The chances of Raito-kun being Kira has been risen up to 99.9 percent-"

Once again, the teenage prodigy wondered why he even opened his big mouth to begin with.

"But why?!"

"For refusing to shut up and take it like a man."

_HEAD-SLAM!_

L smiled as the boy let his head lay on the table, eyes swirling in a daze of pain and righteous anger.

Really, the college student should have just _expected _it at this point.

And so ended another day of Raito attempting to be dominant, but failing to nth degree, Matsuda vigorously encouraging sexual relations between a 25-year-old and a technical minor, and L, once again, pwning all with his awesome cake/donut/ice-cream mixing skills.

"Mm…" L murmured sensually before shoving another spoonful of deliciousness into his mouth, "cakey-ice-cream…"


	3. Where Sleeping Sins Lie: Part I

A/N: Hello, all. Hope you enjoy this next installment!

*And for those of you wondering, welcome back to the Coma A/U! For those of you _not _wondering... Uh... Hi? How you doin'? Lol.

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links **_

_Where Sleeping Sins Lie: **Part I**_

* * *

Raito sighed as he laid his arms over the railing of the hospital bed, eyes rimmed red with remnants of glistening tears.

Why was he crying?

He was…

He was safe here, wasn't he?

His head ached…

His body hurt…

Why did he want to keep on crying?

The sleep had him…

But it didn't anymore.

He was awake now.

Raking his brain over how he ended up in the brightly lit room, Raito grimaced as the stricking ached became a stabbing wrench of pain.

The memories were slow; his mind was still trying to catch up with his body, protesting against the onslaught of sensation overwhelming it.

All he could remember…

_**Cold.**_

_**Everything was cold.**_

Was darkness.

Or was it light?

Raito couldn't tell anymore-

_**And wet.**_

_**Sticky and wet.**_

But the dream…

Had it been a dream?

L's body, draped over his own, covered in…

Raito felt himself stiffen as he wiggled his fingers, willing away the color he could still see painted over his digits, covering his lover's torso, blinding him with its deep searing brightness.

Had that been a horrible illusion on his own part?

_**Why couldn't he see?**_

That face so similar to his lover's looming over him; _killing _him…

The gun, stainless steel reflecting lights off of its cylindrical orifice…

Blood.

That was the source.

Of.

The.

Color.

He remembered blood.

L.

Blood.

White.

Blood.

L.

Covered.

In.

Blood.

Raito closed his eyes and willed the image away, hands raking over his face as he tried to forget (_tried to remember_), tried to grab onto something _real_-

_**Why was it so…**_

Warm.

He had been warm.

But then those hands had hefted his warmth away from him and all Raito could remember was what he wished to forget-

'Where is L? Why… why am I alone? I want to go home. Can't I go home?'

"_Doctor, the patient in room 103 seems to have finally awakened!"_

Before, he had slept for so long, and now, he was awake, but he had already gone through this-

Where was L?

Where were his kids?

Why…

Why couldn't he _remember_?

_**Cold?**_

"Yagami-san!"

Raito felt his body shake as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, a series of yells echoing throughout his room.

All he wanted-

All he wanted was to go _home_.

The last image running through Raito's mind was that of a middle-aged man in a white coat, his mouth moving restlessly as the edges of the brunette's vision blurred and dimmed until he was encased in that inky darkness…

_**Where are you, L?**_

Yet all that met his ears was the sweet sound of never-ending silence.


	4. Unheard Music: Part I

A/N: Ok, here's a newer universe that I think I fell in love with a long time ago. You all met Singer!Raito when I wrote LIA, but here we've brought in a whole new dimension on a similar concept…

Yay for that. Lol.

Hope you guys enjoy this next installment! :)

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Unheard Music: __**Part I**_

_

* * *

_

Spring, 2004

* * *

"You mean… _nothing_?"

L sighed as he dropped the spoon into his lukewarm cup of tea, the bespectacled man sitting just across from him literally gaping at him as he nodded. The warming weather brought upon a new love for sitting outdoors, and the café they were currently inhabiting was perfectly suited for such an occasion.

"_Nothing_, Mikami-kun," L re-stated, eyes downcast, "nothing at all."

"I'm sorry, you know I don't mean to be so blunt with my surprise, but you seem to always find a way around those kinds of things, L." Fixing the glasses that had been close to falling off of his face at the gape he had been giving the older of the two, Mikami gave the man a sympathetic look of concern and shrugged. "Perhaps you just need a bit of inspiration to shake things up in that convoluted brain of yours?"

"Perhaps…" Leaning over his leg, L quietly re-strapped his guitar over his shoulder and waved a nearly-limp hand over his shoulder. "Though I doubt any inspiration of that sort could be as easily acquired as you imply, Mikami-kun."

Mikami sighed as a warm breeze fluttered across his forehead, dark-brown bangs skittering over his eyes, which were still glued on L's now-disappearing figure.

'You'd be surprised by what you find when you least expect it, L…'

And that was the last thought Mikami gave the older man before settling back into his coffee and sandwich, not giving the lackadaisical musician another moment within his mind as he enjoyed the rest of his day off.

* * *

Sneakered feet padded quietly on top of the sidewalk, the dark-haired bohemian man pulling at the ends of his hair as it annoyingly clung to his eyelashes. Pale lips quirked down in irritation as the world began to blur around him and he let his body steer itself with its intuitive maneuvering.

'Words, chords, notes…'

He still couldn't think of a damn thing.

Shoving his hands into his ratty jean pockets, L barely felt the air around him gently pull at his torn sweater-jacket. Clear blue eyes became muddied with discontent just as he turned a corner, not noticing where he was going nor who was in front of him before he immediately acquainted with what seemed to be a solid moving wall-

"GAH!"

"ACK!"

L felt himself topple over as something collapsed and fell beneath him, as his guitar, which had been so carefully strapped upon his back, swung upwards at the strength of the frontal impact. Knees scrapping painfully against the jagged ground, the dark-haired musician hefted himself up halfway off the lumpy sidewalk as he stared down at the lithe body now lying underneath his own.

Dark oceanic orbs met molten amber as the pale musician felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Do you think… you could get up, please?" The younger looking man whispered, his face contorted into one of pain. Finally coming to his senses, L stood up and offered the other a hand.

Tanned skinned touched pastel white as the two men regarded each other for a moment before letting go.

"Sorry…" Both men coughed at the same time before blushing similar shades of cherry-red.

The other man smiled shyly at L before quietly moving around him, short strands of glossy mocha-brown flying in the breeze in a fashionable disarray as he brushed himself off, not even glancing back at the still-stunned man with the large guitar strapped against his back.

Silent notes seemed to float within L's ears as he felt the heavy weight of his guitar against his back slump ever so slightly, eyes still on the young man walking down the endless street beyond his reach.

'Words, chords, notes…'


	5. Unheard Music: Part II

A/N: And our first _actual_ continuation! Lol. Hurray! ^.^ I think I drank too much caffeine. Oh well.

Ack! This universe originally began as a short little one-shot; now, I've expanded it, and I love it EVEN MORES. Omg, I knew I had a musician fetish. LOL.

Hope you guys enjoy the next chappie!

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Unheard Music: __**Part II**_

_

* * *

_

Three Weeks Later…

* * *

Mikami felt his jaw drop as the older man nodded, his face a bit, well, _brighter_ than it had been just a few weeks back.

"You've _got _to be kidding me…"

"Have I ever been one for jokes, Mikami-kun?" L stated unnecessarily, slurping hurriedly on his hot tea. "I have not seen him yet, but hopefully, I shall soon."

"But, but what if you don't?! What you're planning; it's crazy, L! _Crazy!_" Waving his arms around in a flurried motion, the younger of the two sputtered in disbelief. "You're not actually going to just stand there waiting for him, are you?! He may not even live here, for all you know-"

"If he does not, then that is alright," L brought the cup down with a tiny slam as the stoic expression on his face wasn't the least bit fazed, "I am patient. If he visited this city once for whatever reason he did the first time, than it is probable that he shall have to visit again for the same or a similar reason."

Mikami gave the man a dubious glance as he turned back to his coffee, his small loft not providing him much security at the snarky smile now infecting his friend's lips. "I think you're putting too much faith into a little thing I like to call _chance_, and from what I know about you, L, you aren't a _chance _kind of guy."

"Not usually," L agreed instantly, the grin on his face becoming all the larger, "but on something like this, I think a change in pace is a bit necessary.

Slumping within his seat, Mikami said nothing as his friend lifted himself up from his chair and left his apartment without another word, his fierce blue eyes burning with a determination that he hadn't ever seen linger within his former college companion's gaze before.

"Good luck, L," Mikami muttered, taking another sip of his cooling coffee, "I have a feeling you're going to need it, after all…"

* * *

When L had made his proclamation to his friend, he had not _truly _thought things through.

And for L, that had most definitely been a first.

After all, he had been inexplicably drawn to the same spot the day after he had collided with the young angel; he just hadn't been conscious in doing so. Now, however, he felt a sense of pressure build within him and the doubts that Mikami himself had implanted inside his mind grew and grew until all he could think of was how _useless _this whole idea was-

But then the crinkle of paper within his right pocket would wake him up from those thoroughly depressing thoughts and bring him back to reality.

He had a _mission_.

And not even his own _mind _would dissuade him from completing it, damn it.

Setting his guitar down beside him, L carefully sat himself down by the roughened curb, his feet now sneaker-less despite the dangerous texture of the ground beneath them. His holey-jeans crinkled slightly as the young musician relinquished himself of his sweater-jacket, a loose white tank-top sitting loosely over his thin torso. Pulling out a pen from his back pocket and the crumpled piece of paper in the front right, L bit his lip as he looked down at the multitude of staffs and blotches of ink and lead.

Thinking of _him_…

'I hear it again.'

Balancing the paper over his knee, L continued on with his ministrations, not noticing a pair of light eyes following his hands movements as the owner leaned against the brick wall supporting them. Surprisingly, a light blush lingered over the slim man's tanned cheeks as a small smile (_the same smile that haunted the older musician's dreams_…) crawled over his smooth pink lips.

Still, L stayed in his own world.

'I can _hear _it…'


	6. Across the Universe: Part I

A/N: Ta-DAH!

… … No, there was no rhyme or reason to that. I just really like magic shows.

But not clowns. Clowns are NOT awesome. AT ALL.

Gr.

Anyway, here's our next drabble; welcome back our prof!A/U everybody. You know you love it. Lol.

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Across the Universe: __**Part I**_

* * *

Raito sighed as he watched his boyfriend pace across the room, the stale maroon of the carpet currently being abused by his lover's feet appearing all the more rugged by the frantic pacing.

"You're not getting anywhere burning a hole in the poor floor, L. The carpet didn't do anything to you, you know." The younger of the two muttered dispassionately from his spot on the large queen-sized bed, light hair falling over his eyes as he laid his head over his folded arms, lying on his stomach in an effort to gain the comfort he had given up in chasing _after _said boyfriend who was still staring at him as if he had grown three heads.

"Now is not the time for any of your half-hearted jokes seemingly always made at my expense, Raito." Turning around so that he could continue his hurried pacing, L ignored the now chuckling brunette still staring at him from the bed settled in front of him. "I still don't… I still don't know if this is the right thing to do."

Rolling his eyes, Raito finally slipped off the bed and made his way to the fidgety professor ready to bite his own fingers off (_if the way he kept nibbling on his thumb was any indication, anyway_). "If you didn't think this was 'right', we wouldn't be here to begin with, L."

Pouting slightly, L glared at the college student, hating his logic-

Even if it _was _correct.

"Stop giving yourself grief over this" letting the other lean into him, Raito flicked his bangs away from his eyes, "and _man up_ already."

"Wow, Raito, you should take up motivational speaking." L droned, feeling a bit more relaxed now that he had the boy's full attention readily on him. "I feel better_ al-ready_."

"It's the healing powers of being smart _and _sexy." The muffled laughter vibrating against the crook of his neck gave proof of his attempts at making his boyfriend feel a bit better actually _working_, making the younger of the two smile in delight. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"It's just…" The smile still curled around the college professor's lips began to dim as arms curled around his middle, comforting him to an extent. "I can't think of _him _without thinking about _her_, and whenever I do, I just get _so angry_…"

"And you think you aren't entitled to feel that way?" Pulling the man towards the bed, Raito sat down on the edge of the mattress just as L was ready to wrestle his way from his lover's grip. "Don't be such an idiot, L. Even a blind monkey with a peanut-butter fetish would be able to tell you that you have every right to be pissed the hell off in this situation! Hey-!"

Pushing the boy onto the bed and trapping him with his thighs and hands as he straddled his lean abdomen, L gave the ranting student one of his patented-creepy-stares in hopes of shutting him the hell up.

What L did not take into account was that Raito was so _used _to his creepiness that giving him said stare was the equivalent of trying to look cute; luckily, neither aforementioned spectrum of emotions worked on the young man when it came to L.

"You know, you have a booger up your nose." Raito stated blandly as the other man just blinked, pouting in response to the lack of annoyance in his paramour's face.

"Thank you, Raito."

"You're welcome!" The brunette stated cheerfully, not looking the least bit uncomfortable with being pinned to the mattress beneath him. "Now, about your fa-"

"Buzz-kill." L deadpanned as he hefted himself off of his boyfriend, refusing to give into the teary-eyed stare Raito was now pawning off on him.

"You can't avoid this conversation forever L Lawliet!"

Dark eyes narrowed as L made his way to the bathroom, not giving his irate significant other another glance.

"Watch me _try_."


	7. Lolita Complex: Part I

A/N: Ok, here's my first big attempt at shota-con (or dub-con at this point… O.o;) and if you don't like that sort of thing, then please don't read. Wow, I seem to be taking on all sorts of scandalous crap lately; lemons, abuse of all sorts, rape…

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE FUN HARI-CHAN WE ALL USED TO KNOW AND LOVE?!

No comment. Lol.

*For those who don't know what shouta-con means, basically this universe deals with romantic/sexual relationships with minors (in this case, 13 years of age). There's nothing explicit or even insinuated yet in this chapter, but that doesn't mean it won't change in the future. JUST TAKE THE WARNING FOR WHAT IT IS DARN IT.

*LOVES CAPS LOCK*

Ha ha ha ha ha… yeah… ^.^; Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Lolita Complex: __**Part I**_

* * *

"_This shall be your new home._"

_Light cringed as the young girl next to him, barely looking over the age of seven, grinned in awe before tightening her hold on his hand._

_The dark-haired man in front of them smiled down at the suspicious brunette, unnerving the young teenager even further._

"_And you shall always be welcome here."_

* * *

Light sighed as he pushed himself on the swings, the large looming mansion he was now situated in standing tall in front of him. His small legs trembled from the force of the wind billowing around his tiny figure, his large puffy jacket doing little to protect him from the winter cold coming his way.

He had barely seen the owner of the mansion since he had arrived, the slouched young man seemingly in his mid-twenties appearing to enjoy his own company over Light's, and the confused 13-year-old couldn't say that he minded. There was a strange vibe of discomfort that plagued them whenever they were in the same room that put Light on his guard; the orphanage hadn't been pleasant, but compared to the tense silences that he was forced to endure whenever he was in the other man's presence, it seemed like heaven at this point.

* * *

"_You'll enjoy your stay here; our master has made it known that your comfort should come above all else in our list of duties, Master Light." The butler whispered before taking his coat and smiling, eyes demurely satisfied at the new burst of life illuminating the mansion's halls. _

"_Thank you." Light whispered before pulling his little sister up the stairs, tired beyond belief. _

* * *

But he didn't want to be coddled, nor did he want to be pampered.

He refused to become comfortable in this alien environment; he had no other choice, really.

* * *

"_Light…"_

_The young boy blinked as he gazed up at his matron, his wayward hair falling over his eyes as he swiftly turned his head away from the person avidly staring at him from over his caretaker's shoulder._

_Dark eyes traced his every movement, not giving him even a moment's rest._

"_Mr. Lawliet would like to speak to you."_

_He didn't know why, but Light felt his throat constrict as he nodded, the young dark-haired girl next to him smiling shyly as if to comfort him._

'_I'll be back, Sayu…'_

* * *

He just wanted to go _home_.

"Light!"

Spunky brown eyes laced together with flushed cheeks and a bright smile met the older boy's tepid gaze as he backed away from the rushing girl ready to fly into his arms.

"I haven't seen you all day, big brother!" Sayu mewled as she pounced the semi-unwilling child, ribbon-tied pigtails dancing in the swarming winds. "Mr. Lawliet asked for you earlier, but nobody knew where you were! I told him I'd be able to find you… and I did! Aren't you proud?"

* * *

"_I've seen your test scores, and quite frankly, I'm impressed. My own former guardian was even impressed by your results, and that is saying something." The older man, formerly dubbed Mr. Lawliet, gave the boy a stale stare; any other person would have felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny._

_Light wasn't such a person._

"_And?" Not seeing a need to pretend to be polite, Light flicked his hair out of his eyes. "What do I care if you're impressed or not? It neither benefits me nor interests me in any way."_

"_I believe I would be able to assist in fostering such a bright young child such as yourself. I myself know what it's like to have lived in a place like this and I would hate to see such a wonderful bright _Light_ be dimmed because of lack of opportunity and caring." Light didn't have to see the change of expression to hear the mocking undertones of the man's speech, even if the tone of the unwanted visitor's vocals did not change. "Think of it as a good deed on my part and a newfound miracle on yours."_

"… _I don't deal well with miracles, sir. Honestly, I don't see how helping me benefits you whatsoever, and I don't work well with unpaid favors." Pushing his way out of the chair, Light rolled his eyes as the older man's eyebrow shot into the air. "Thanks, but no thanks."_

* * *

"Of course." Light answered easily, his brotherly grin masking any and all former distress. "I'll go see him right away. Shall we head inside, Sayu?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

"_I see." Mr. Lawliet felt his lips tilt up ever so slightly as Light disappeared behind the large door, dark eyes alight with curiosity. "How interesting, indeed…"_


	8. Lolita Complex: Part II

A/N: Da-da-da-DAH!

Shota-Powers-ACTIVATE!

L-O-L.

Heh. Let the discomfort begin. XD

Once again, nothing explicit or anything like that, but that doesn't mean that it won't bother you if you're against this sort of thing. :3 Just saying. Lol. I'm so into this universe, and I'm not even INTO shota all that much. There's just something about the tension between these two in particular that calls to me…

Is that weird? O.o; Probably. Lol. Well, enjoy? :-D

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Lolita Complex: __**Part II**_

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Lawliet." Light muttered as he closed the door behind him, cinnamon-brown eyes closed off and shuttered.

"Hello, Light." The older man slid off his seat, back slightly hunched over from hours of non-stop paperwork and reading. "And how many times must I ask you to simply call me L?"

"Too many to count, Mr. Lawliet."

L chuckled as his dull dark gray eyes lit up with amusement, the child in front of him seeming to radiate discomfort and hostility. Light shook his head as L gestured towards a seat, the taller man seeming to take much enjoyment from the boy's stubbornness.

"How have both you and your sister settled into your new rooms?" L inquired, more out of propriety than any real concern.

"Just fine, thank you." Light fiddled with his fingers as the stare still settled on his person became too much, his cheeks flushed and heated with nervous embarrassment. "Is that why you called me here?"

The razor-sharp smile now decorating his guardian's lips put Light on his guard, molten amber eyes shielded once more.

* * *

"_Is your answer still the same, Light?" _

_Light hissed out in pain as he fell onto the unforgiving ground from his perch on the large oak tree's branch, his meditation broken. Cradling his injured arm against his chest, the 12-year-old boy glared up at the persistent adult; three and a half months, and still he visited the orphanage with the same question nestled within his lips. _

"_Why do you keep doing this?!" Light muttered, the pain overriding any and all common sense. "I've already gave you my answer and still you continue to stalk after me as if I'll change my mind!" _

"_Because you have potential." Mr. Lawliet stated simply, his dark eyes deep and impenetrable. "And I would hate to see such potential go to waste." _

"_Well, it hasn't changed! I won't leave here; not without what's mine!"_

"_And that would be…?" Light blushed as he realized he had let his mouth run away from him; something that only happened in front of Mr. Lawliet, mind you. _

"_Not that you would understand, but… my sister. I won't leave here without her. Now leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" _

_Before the older man could even say another word, Light quickly stood up and made his way back into the orphanage. _

_Hopefully, he thought to himself, he wouldn't have to deal with that dreaded man any more… _

* * *

"Of course not." L smoothly countered, pulling out a pristine white piece of paper from the large pile smothering his desk. "This is your new schedule, which will be initiated on Monday. You will attend all these classes within the common room; I will not tolerate any absences unless it is a dire emergency or I am told of the reason beforehand. You were brought here for a reason…"

"And that is to be your apprentice; you've told me already." Light nodded before grabbing the paper from L's hands and staring down at his new set of classes. "And Sayu?"

"She will be well-taken care of; that I promise you."

* * *

"_I didn't realize you cared for her so much. You seem so… cold to her at times." L smirked as the boy shrugged, sharing his cookie with the other. Though the two didn't get along, it seemed that the older man's persistence was finally wearing the tiny pre-teen down thin. _

_He at least _tolerated_ the nuisance that was L Lawliet as opposed to just brushing him off completely as he did just little over six months prior._

"_She's all I have left." Light whispered, giving Mr. Lawliet the rest of his cookie. "And I won't let anyone take her away from me. Not even _you_." _

_L contemplated the boy's choice of words before a small grin overtook his usually straight-laced lips. _

"_Who says I want to do that?" _

_Light blinked as his mouth dropped open, wondering if his ears were deceiving him. _

"_How about I make you an offer you can't refuse…" _

* * *

"Fine." Light breathed, trying not to shiver as the now-familiar shadow of his guardian overtook his body, a cold arm curling around his shoulders. "I'll hold you to your word."

* * *

"_Why…?" The now 13-year-old boy almost stuttered as Mr. Lawliet pulled him into his embrace, the physical affection sudden and unexpected even after nearly seven months of knowing each other._

"_Does it matter?" _

"_Nothing in life is ever for free." Light argued, his body quivering as the larger body behind his own held him closely to its chest. He tried to hold back his blush as cool cloth-covered arms wrapped around his middle, the older man's affection still unnerving and unwanted. "What is it you think I can give that other's can't?" _

"_I wish for you to be my heir, of sorts." L finally admitted, his dark eyes gloomy as he buried his face against the tuft of reddish-brown locks. The large oak tree covered their bodies from the orphanage behind them, both man and boy shivering for altogether different reasons. "There is something about you that I feel is resilient; other boys your age would have jumped at the chance to escape this place, yet for the sake of your sister and your own sanity, you did not. I wonder why that is… so I suppose in part it is curiosity as well. I can't very well define just what it is about you that captivates me, Light." _

_It was the first time the man had ever been honest with him, and Light was a bit surprised. _

_He didn't think the man even _knew _what honesty _was_. _

"_If I accept, then what?" _

"_Well," L closed his eyes as Light continued to tremble within his embrace "that is up to you, Light." _

* * *

Light sighed as he felt the other man nuzzle the top of his head, his small stature making it a bit uncomfortable for the other.

'Why…?'

Instead of questioning the man out loud, the young boy allowed the needy hug to continue, even as his discomfort continued to rise at an alarming rate.

He was tired of asking the same questions only to get the same non-answers.

So, so tired…


	9. Lolita Complex: Part III

A/N: I'm seriously enraptured with this universe right now, so please, don't mind the multiple updates. Lol.

A little more action in this chapter, though not enough to make a person cringe (I still post this as a slight warning cuz I know not everyone is… well, let's say this kind of relationship isn't actually approved by a lot of people lol). Honestly, I really wanted to take it a bit further, but these are supposed to be drabbles, and we all _know_ how carried away I can get once I get into something…

Omg, this is going to be another DH dilemma in the making, I just KNOW IT.

DX

Hope you guys enjoy the next installment!

(Btw, if you have an issue with Asshole-Perverted-in-a-Bad-Way!L… you probably shouldn't read this universe. Just saying. Lol)

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Lolita Complex: __**Part III**_

* * *

There was something about the mansion that disgusted Light.

Staring at the plain white walls of his 'classroom', he shuttered as the elderly man that had been kind enough to mentor him (he had introduced himself as Quillsh Whammy, but Light wasn't all that comfortable with acknowledging the older man by his name _just yet_) whilst L was in his study attending to whatever it was that took up his time left in a flurry of books, papers and ridiculously formal dress-wear.

'I want to go _home_…'

The problem was…

Light now _was _home.

At least that was what _L _expected him to think.

* * *

"_How are you faring, Light?" _

_Closing the thick book nestled in between his hands, Light let it fall onto his lap as the older man he had become unknowingly close to sat down across from him and smiled, the expression startling off and almost fake. "Fine, thank you. And you, Mr. Lawliet?"_

"_Wonderfully now that I know you have settled in so marvelously." L flicked back dark hair from his hauntingly dark eyes, his pale gaunt face angled towards the shadows infecting the room. The darkening sky hanging outside the un-draped window revealed just how late it was; Light was astonishingly surprised that his little sister hadn't barged in for whatever reason and pulled him back from wasting the day away reading… "It's been a month and this is the first time I've actually seen you so relaxed in my presence, Light." _

"_Can you blame me?" Light balked, cheeks bright red. "These past four weeks all you've done is-"_

"_I've kept you on your guard?" The older man's jaw dropped, eyes widening even as amusement lingered within their depths. "How horrible of me." _

"_You do realize that you are my caretaker, and that such approaches are usually frowned upon within most circles, Mr. Lawliet?" Face tightening with annoyance, the tinge of red within the young child's cheeks brightened once more. "What you are doing is highly inappropriate. You told me you brought me here because you needed an heir, not someone to take care of your libido. For that, you could just hire a prostitute!" _

"_You are correct." L stated simply, still looking far too amused to be proclaimed innocent by any means. "You are just simply too tantalizing to resist, Light." _

"_And nearly half your age…" Light muttered underneath his breath, sure his guardian heard his every word. _

"_I'm not _that _old now…" _

_The brunette rolled his eyes before placing the book still settled against his lap onto the small coffee-table separating the man and boy and prepared himself for the long walk to his room; the library just so happened to be all the way on the other side of the manor, and Light's feet ached whenever he felt the absolute need to feed his mind's craving for literature. Before he could even get two steps into his venture, a pale hand wrapped itself around his wrist and dragged him over to where L sat, cheeks once again bruising with blood as Light lay sprawled on top of L's lap. _

"_Although, I suppose that is a lie, isn't it, Light?" L smirked as he tilted the boy's head up and lay a chaste kiss on his lips. "But we both know that we're both natural born liars at heart, and I simply _can't _resist the chance…"_

"_Must you always do this?" Light muttered, eyes narrowing as a pout threatened to burst over his lips. "It makes me very uncomfortable…" _

"_But why should you feel uncomfortable here, within my arms and nestled inside our home." L wrapped himself fully around the tiny boy, placing another kiss on his cheek. "You should only feel happiness here, with me." _

"_Home…" Tiny hands worked their way up to the sides of L's face, hazel-brown becoming fuzzy with something akin to nostalgia. "I had another home once. It was beautiful… and I think I was loved and cared for, along with my sister. There, that was true happiness from what I can remember." _

"_Hm." L nodded, though his own eyes seemed to take a faraway countenance once the words fell from Light's lips. "So did I… a long time ago." _

_Light wanted to ask where and why, but felt it prudent not to. L wasn't someone who took well to questions; his privacy was paramount, even though he held little disregard for others. Instead of continuing on the conversation, Light lifted himself up and laid a small kiss against L's lips and slipped out of his embrace, the embarrassment nothing compared to the ache now burrowing deep within his chest…_

_Would he ever escape this feeling, he wondered. _

* * *

"How were your lessons today?!" Light nearly jumped out of his skin as his little sister tumbled into the room, all fluffy dresses and pale-pink ribbons. "Did you have fun, big brother?"

"I suppose it is a matter of perspective, really." The elder Yagami smiled as Sayu giggled before burying herself against his side. "And how was your lesson, little sister?"

"It was fun! We were learning about dining etiquette today!" Sayu babbled as she held onto Light's arm, her cheery eyes and large smile making up for the dismal pit growing within Light's stomach rather splendidly. "My instructor is simply _marvelous_…"

"I'm sure." Light muttered as he glanced up and saw charcoal gray eyes watching them at the entrance of the room, shades of black and white blurring until all Light saw was L. "I'm sure…"

Sayu continued to chat away without any signs of stopping, oblivious to her brother's sudden tense posture.

L simply smiled his little smile, biding his time.

He would have Light back in his arms sooner or later.

Preferably sooner of course…

* * *

"_How long will we play this game, Light?" _

_The young boy said nothing as he buried his face into the older man's neck, his bed much too cold as his caretaker loomed over him. _

_Ignoring the shiver sent his way, L placed a small kiss at the pulse of his charge's neck and smiled. _

_Soon…_

_Light blinked up at the ceiling as pale, freezing hands trailed down his sides, wishing he could be anywhere but _here_. _

_Just a bit longer, L thought to himself, and he would have it all. _


	10. Unheard Music: Part III

A/N: Ok, I had to bring myself out of the shota-mindset somehow, and this universe seemed like the perfect distraction. Soon, the other universes shall get some Hari-chan loving as well…

Ah, on another note, I'm sending out an invitation to all of my readers! If you guys have an idea for a drabble or would simply have a request, let me know! I'm kind of bored right now, and I can use the distraction. Lol. Of course I have my own multi-chapter stories to preoccupy my mind, but I always like to take time out for drabbles and mini-one-shots. Can you not tell just by looking at my profile?! XD

But yeah! Don't be scared; let me know if you have anything you would like to share! ^.^ Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Unheard Music: __**Part III**_

* * *

_Summer, 2004_

* * *

"Oi! AGAIN?!"

L blinked as the man in front of him snarled, ruining the professional demeanor he seemed to hold on such a high pedestal with just a simple furrow of the brow and downturn of his lips.

"Yes, Mikami-kun?" L continued to tinker with his guitar as he sat on the sidewalk, bare feet dirty from lack of protection and long walks.

"You have been just sitting here waiting for someone that you don't even know will be back, and for what, L?!" Mikami tugged on his short dark locks barely brushing his shoulders, feeling a deep frustration he could only feel with his old friend. "For all you know he's somewhere in America with some two-bit hooker whose real name is Joseph having the time of his life while you're waiting for him on the same curb you've barely moved away from for nearly _two months_! Don't you see something wrong here, L?!"

"Hm." L simply replied, once again going back to his guitar. "I think that sounds crazy, Mikami-kun."

"You're just going to stay right where you are no matter what I say otherwise, aren't you?" The businessman stated rather dryly, shaking his head in exasperation. "Even though you have no idea where he could be or if he even remembers you, or-"

"I think you know the answer to your own question, Mikami-kun." L smiled as his friend grumbled before walking away, suitcase swinging along with him. "Have a nice day!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Mikami sighed as he passed by someone violently rushing past him, auburn locks swinging in the wind as the man's denim jacket hit his sides with how closely they came to colliding with one another. Holding back a holler of indignation to himself, Mikami glared at the other man's back before it disappeared behind a corner, mouth twitching angrily in protest.

'What an asshole!'

* * *

L licked his dry lips as he stared up at the composition held overhead, thin hands trembling slightly from the caffeine-shake and late night session they had partook in. The smooth ink flowed across the paper; the lines of linear music decorating the sheet of paper in front of him still playing graciously within his mind's ear.

'Beautiful…'

This was it, L thought to himself as he laid the final piece of paper together with the small pile gathered against the corner of his desk.

He was finished.

A tender smile split his slightly-chapped lips as he thought of the source of his inspiration and wiped his hands against the rough fabric of his jean-clad thighs. Gorgeous honey brown eyes sparkling with amusement appeared before him as a smooth smile tinged with laughter infected his thoughts.

L couldn't _wait _to be able to thank the mysterious man in person.

He just _couldn't_…

'Wherever you are, you have no idea how thankful I truly am.'

* * *

L sighed as he stripped himself of his zip-up hoodie and let his hand fall back as he leaned his weight against his thin arms. The light white tank-top fluttered slightly in the summer breeze as the tired musician gathered his legs upward and let his head fall to his upright knees. Bangles of silver bracelets fell against his hands as he moved his arms and let them wrap around his legs, exhausted beyond belief.

The crinkle of paper within his pocket kept him from falling asleep, however, as random pedestrians turned and pointed at the guitar-clad stranger sitting against the curb of the sidewalk.

'I suppose there's not time like the present to get some practice in…'

Pulling his guitar off of his shoulder, L smiled as he brought his legs down and laid the instrument against his shoulder and lap.

'Maybe then he'll reappear…'

Honey brown eyes floated over the dark-haired man's steady gaze as the strain of music floated over his ears; the delicate strings of his guitar soothing him better than sleep ever could.

'And then, I'll finally be able to thank him the way I wish to.'

Smiling, L continued on with his quiet serenade, the former strangers staring at him for his strangeness now gawking at him for entirely different reasons. Fingers flying in a succession of chords, the pale-skinned composer could only close his eyes and keep playing.

* * *

Biting his lower lip to keep himself from distracting the other man playing on the curb, the young man stared at the instrumentalist humming near silently to the tune he was playing. Gently smiling as he slid down the brick wall supporting his back, golden-brown eyes closed as he lost himself to the music.

'If only he would write something like that for _me_…'

Oh, how happy he would be.


	11. Where the Heart Is: Part I

A/N: Whelp, here's our next A/U!

I... really have nothing else to say. Lol.

Enjoy? o.o;

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links **_

_Where the Heart Is: __**Part I**_

* * *

He was just sitting there, not even a care set upon that delicate face as streams of water droplets plopped down on those bright red cheeks.

L had thought it strange the first time he had saw him, sitting there as if he had nowhere else to be, but he had not really questioned it.

He had other things to worry about, after all.

Yet even he could not delude himself into thinking differently now.

Almost six months later and now he found himself stationed behind a bush, staring at the lithe figure dressed in holey clothing on par with rags still sitting in the same spot as the first day he had found him. Dark eyes traced over the smooth wet features of the slightly haggard face, dark circles decorating the honey-brown eyes staring up at the gray clouded sky as a tanned hand floated up and traced invisible figures that only he could apparently see.

All this time, and he didn't even have a name to show for his efforts…

Getting up from his spot, L sneered at he stared down at his muddy jean-clad knees and winced once he realized that he would, once again, have to explain to Watari just why he was coming home appearing as if he had just crawled out of a dumpster.

Taking one last gander behind him, L brushed the wet hair out of his stare and turned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

He would always be back tomorrow, after all…

* * *

Light let his weight sag as he felt the same damnable gaze leave his direction, his eyes shifty and nervous. Turning his head, the hazel-eyed boy coughed as his heart continued to pound against his chest, not sure if the heat invading his cheeks was because of the cold or the young man that had kept a continuous vigil over him for the last… well, Light didn't know how much time had passed considering he didn't have a watch, but he knew it was long time.

The first day he had seen the older looking boy, he had tried to hide away within the monstrous-looking coat that hung over his shoulders, those dark gray eyes scanning every part of him with analytical care. Light had wanted to ask why he was staring, but didn't.

For some reason, those eyes upon him didn't bother him as much as other's stares did; he didn't _want _the attention off of him for once.

So he had kept his mouth shut and stared back out of the corner of his eye. The bridge he sat precariously off of the edge of had blared with loudly with the onslaught of people rushing across it as the stranger slowly disappeared within the crowd and Light stayed where he was, not caring enough to actually chase after the person whom he had held the interest of.

He had worried (_in the back of his mind, of course_) that he wouldn't see him again, but it had been a passing worry. The growl in his stomach informed him that it was time to head back before all the food was gone and the doors to his 'home' were locked for the night.

The streets were no place to sleep after all.

'And I would know…' Light thought to himself as he finally stood up, still staring up at the gray clouds pouring down upon him. Auburn strands of hair clung to his face as he pulled the slightly torn hood over his head, his tired feet making their way to the familiar destination.

"Hope to see you again tomorrow, stranger…" Light whispered into the wind, hands holding the hood in place as the swift winds picked up their pace.

Maybe then, Light could finally gather the courage to actually say _hello_.


	12. Bottomless Blue: Part I

A/N: Omg, I never thought I would do this.

DISNEY, HOW COULD YOU INFECT ME LIKE THIS?!

*Sigh* I'm about to shock some people, I know, but I started listening to the Disney soundtracks in my iTunes… and don't be surprised if you see other Disney fairytales floating around in this collection. Dare I say… Aladdin, anyone? Pocahontas? Maybe even Beauty and the Beast?! XD

BUT NO SINGING. I'VE ALREADY GOT ENOUGH OF THAT WITHIN WDE, WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE SINGING. -.-;

And just as a side-note to anyone who gets it in them to ask, no, I refuse to deal with Hans Christian Anderson's depressing as all hell storyline. Though don't expect this to be all Disney-fied either. You'll see aspects of both (obviously) but this is going to be something from my own creation. Hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Bottomless Blue: __**Part I**_

* * *

"There he is!"

Light sighed as the yellow and blue striped manini fish next to him wiggled around a bit, a bright smile set on her face. The bright red crab next to it sighed at the obnoxious motion, rolling his eyes before shaking his pinchers in Light's direction.

"Light, you know that the king _specifically told you _that you weren't supposed to come anywhere near the sur-"

"Shush Teru." The auburn-haired boy mumbled as he tilted his head to the side, the rock obscuring his lithe form within the crystal-clear water doing its job a bit _too _well. "Misa, do you think you could swim a bit closer towards the beach to see what he's doing? Maybe even doing that trick you do so well…?"

"Ok Light!"

Rushing past the boy's thin form, Misa's golden scales flashed brightly under the sun blazing down upon them. Honey-brown eyes widened as the figure lying on the sand just beyond his reach shifted, the object in his lap rolling upward as his knees rose to meet his chest. Swirling his digits in the water, Light smirked as Misa finally caught the 'stranger's' attention, shaded dark-blue eyes squinting as they caught the shine within the clear sea water a little bit away from him.

"Hm… an exotic fish so close to the tide?" The dark-haired man muttered, though Light himself could barely hear the words as they escaped his mouth from the spot he was hiding behind. "Interesting…"

The material covering the man's lower regions became dark and soggy as he stood up from his spot on the sand and waded out into the water, curiosity speckling his gaze. Just as he came close enough to the yellow-and-blue fish to examine it, Misa flipped herself up and hit his wrist with her body, the bound set of papers within his hand flying out of his grip and sailing out into the ocean.

"Damn it all!" The dark-haired man cursed as he scratched his head, the fish that had been distracting him whizzing past him in mere seconds. "Well, I suppose I was asking for that…"

Light grinned as the man practically stomped out of the waters and off the beach, heading towards the high-towered castle perched over the cliff leading towards the ocean Light currently inhabited.

Once he was sure he wouldn't be caught, the amber-eyed teen swam forward and grabbed the object that had held the older man's attention, its bright green cover keeping it afloat.

"Hm…" The brunette blinked as he studied the soggy papers stuck together by the leathery material on the front and back, flipping them from side to side. "What do you think this is, Teru? There's even some things printed on the papers, almost like words!"

"Can't understand anything it says, though…" Teru muttered as he stared at the strange letters, also interested, though trying his best to appear otherwise. "I suppose Matsuda may know what it is and what these symbols mean, Light."

"I'm sure he does!" Misa supported, her fin swishing back and forth in a rapid motion. "Let's go see him right now, Light!"

"I would love to, but my father is expecting us back in the castle soon." Sighing in disappointment, Light shrugged. "I'll just place it within my grotto and we'll go see Matsuda later."

"Yay!" Misa squealed, swimming around in circles.

"Oh God…" Teru stuttered instead, his red head hanging forward in shame.

Light laughed before turning around and diving back inside the confines of the sea, his bright red fin (which took the place of legs) splashing the water as he did so.

'And perhaps… I'll see _him _again…' The merman thought to himself as the cool waters enveloped his tanned form, the fading light of the sun trailing after his fin in a rainbow of colors. 'Even if for only awhile.'


	13. Bottomless Blue: Part II

A/N: Annnddddd… here we go.

Enjoy the second part of "Bottomless Blue"-

And don't mind the random Disney dialogue. I just couldn't help myself. XD

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links **_

_Bottomless Blue: __**Part II**_

* * *

"Wow, Light!" Misa fluttered over towards one of the towering shelves that made up the grotto, the objects still glittering even while submerged under water. "Misa still gets excited whenever she comes in here!"

"I suppose… it is a rather large collection of human artifacts." Light muttered as he placed the bound stack of papers (he really needed to find out the name, he couldn't keep referring to the object as such without giving himself a migraine) on the large rock in the middle of the sea grotto, caressing its cover gently. "But we don't have much time to play today, Misa. My father will blow his tail-fin if I'm late again…"

"Exactly!" Teru piped up, clutching onto Light's bright red fin with one claw. "His majesty is already at his wit's end when it comes to your late-sea activities… who knows what could happen if he were to find this place as well, let alone you in it, Light!"

"Perhaps afterwards, we'll go explore the sunken ship…" Light whispered against Misa's side as Teru continued his anti-human rant and how his father would skewer him if he were to continue on his explorations above sea waters. "I doubt Matsuda will be out when we're done at the castle, but at least we'll be able to find more items to learn about…"

"Yay!" Misa squealed happily before muffling her own voice at Light's reproachful look.

"And rehearsal! What will we do about rehearsal?!" Teru wailed, his pinchers waving in front of his face. "Light, you know that you're father will _kill _us both if you miss another rehearsal!"

"Fine, fine, let's go already, Teru." Light flicked his tail-fin at the crab before quickly swimming out of the grotto, Misa's laughter echoing off the walls as she trailed after the mer-prince of Atlantica. "No need to keep father waiting."

"Finally!" Teru swam after his charges, huffing out his impatience. "And here I thought neither of you had any sense! Hopefully King Soichirou sees that once we get back to the palace…"

Light scoffed as he slid the rock over his grotto's entrance, rolling his eyes in dismal acceptance.

'I doubt that very much…'

* * *

"YOU'RE _LATE_!" Light flinched as he bowed his head, his father's looming voice echoing throughout the main hall in a menacing display. "AGAIN!"

"Father, I said I was _sorry_…"

"This is the _last time _that I will be saying this to you, Light, and this time I _mean it_; as king of Atlantica, I consider myself a reasonable man. All that I ask for are that my rules of law are obeyed and that my people and family give me the respect I rightly deserve; two things that seem to be difficult for you to do." Looking up at his father, the auburn-haired merman winced. Dark eyes shielded by ebony-colored locks swirled within the water as a large golden crown glimmered within the seawaters as his long sea-green fin flicked to-and-fro with annoyance. "I will accept your apology _this time_, but know that this will not _happen AGAIN._"

"Of course, father…"

"I mean it, Light." Grabbing his trident, which lay nestled next to him on his throne, the king of the ocean seemed to glow with a radiant light. "If you wish to inherit your rightful place as king, you shall have to learn how to obedient to your elders, so that those under you can mimic those same traits to _you_."

Trying not to roll his eyes in exasperation, Light bit his lip as Misa twirled around his body, hiding her small form behind her friend's lithe back. "You're right, father. I shall make sure that this doesn't happen again."

"Honestly, my son." Waving a weary hand in a motion of dismissal, Soichirou sighed. "You make me feel twice my age, at times."

Shrugging in response, Light held back the smirk blooming over his lips. "I'm-"

"Sorry, I know." Smiling at his oldest child, the king huffed back a guffaw. "Go tend to your sister and speak to Teru about the final rehearsal before tomorrow's concert. You _do _realize that it is tomorrow, correct?"

"Of course I knew that, father!" Trying to hold onto his dignified image of indifference, Light bit back the pout wishing to form over his lips. "Where is Sayu, anyway?"

"She _should _be in her room… where she was _waiting _for _you_."

Light, at least, had the grace to look shamed at the inconvenience he had caused his sister.

"Father, I'm-"

"Don't you think," Soichirou smiled slyly at his son's discomfort, crown slipping forward as he leaned towards his eldest child "that you should be saving those words for someone else?"

Without another word, the younger merman quickly turned about face and swam out of his father's throne room, a large grin decorating his lips. Plans of mischief and ship-trips lingered within the far reaches of his mind as Misa and Teru trailed after his speeding figure once again, the king leaning back against his throne as he watched his heir to his throne disappear behind a large door.

Fondly stroking his mustache, Soichirou sighed. "What in Poseidon's ocean am I ever going to do with that boy?"

* * *

"Little sister…?" Light called out as he entered the small bay that served as the young princess' bedroom. "Are you here?"

"Light…?" Came a delicate call from the bed perched on the farthest side of the cove, languid sheer sheets floating slightly against the water's torrents. "Over here."

Calmly swimming towards the canopy bed covered in seashells and flying silk, a mess of dark hair hung over tanned shoulders as a young girl peeked through the threads of sheets that obscured her bed from sight. Light immediately kicked his fin out as he affectionately twirled a piece of hair away from her dark-brown gaze, his little sister's own bright pink fin curling around his.

"I missed you this morning, big brother." Sayu smiled as the light-haired merman patted her on the head. "Were you off exploring again instead of practicing for tomorrow's concert?"

"… … _Possibly_."

"What did you find?!" Sayu eagerly sat up, fixing her lavender seashells as she did so. "Do you know what they're called? Did you see any hu-"

"SHHHHH!" Holding a hand onto his little sister's mouth, Light gave the room a quick glance around so as to make sure there weren't any extra ears (or fins) in the room. "Don't say anything like that, especially that loudly! You never know who might be listening, after all…"

"Sorry, big brother." Yawning cutely behind a bejeweled hand, Sayu laid back down on her bed, curling her fin upward as her older brother wrapped a sheet around her cooling body. "After the concert tomorrow, will you tell me then?"

Light smiled as he kissed the small girl on her forehead and nodded, Misa and Teru hanging over his shoulder as he pushed back and began to swim out of the room. "Have a good sleep, little sister."

"Light…" Teru warned as the merman continued to watch his sister even as he backed out of the room and she disappeared from sight, glistening amber eyes shining brightly against the sea's smooth currents. "Light, I already know what you're thinking and NO, the concert is TOMORROW for God sakes!"

"Which leaves me plenty of time to go visit the ship tonight and see Matsuda tomorrow morning before your precious show!" Light snapped, beckoning for Misa to come to his side as he left Sayu's small cove. "I know all my lines and my singing is in perfect key! We both know I don't actually _need _the rehearsal, so my leaving won't affect anything!"

"I don't know about this…" The tiny crab bit anxiously at his pincher, dark brown eyes wide and shifty. "Light, you know how the king gets when-"

"It'll be fine! Trust me! I'll be back before anyone even notices I'm gone…" Swimming past the palace boundaries, Teru sighed before making his way back inside.

'_He_ might not need any practice, but I can't say the same about my orchestra…'

Shaking his head at the physical representation of obstinacy that was the prince of Atlantica, the bright red crustacean made his way to the grand hall and flew into the main auditorium where his musicians were waiting for him.

Light was way more than trouble than he was _worth_.

* * *

"Light…?" Misa whispered as the boy flew past the yellow and blue striped fish, crimson tail-fin flapping smoothly against the rough waters they were now encroaching. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"Why, are you scared already, Misa?" Light smirked as he stared at the large wreck submerged in front of him, eyes gleaming with wonder.

"N-no…"

Holding back a snark, Light slipped into the ship through one of the open windows, crimson fin flapping slightly as Raito pushed his thin body inside. "Don't be such a guppy, Misa! C'mon!"

"I'm no guppy!" Misa grumbled as he shoved her own frame through the window, blue eyes scanning the large room both fish and merman were now floating within. "But… seriously, Light. You don't think there're any sharks around here, do you?"

"I don't _think _so…"

"Light!" The frightened yelp almost made Light chuckle in mild amusement as a light rumble shrilled slightly on their left side. Flying rays of yellow and blue sped over behind the boy's back as he ducked under a large plank of wood dangling from the ceiling, obviously from the ship's main deck. "You should be careful, Light…"

"What's the worst than can happen, Misa?" Light absently responded before swimming forward, a spark of silver catching his eye. "Oh… what's this, I wonder?"

"Light…" Misa quivered, the left side of the ship once again rumbling, even tumbling a bit, for that the fish was sure. "Light, let's goooo…"

"We just got here, Misa, calm down!" Picking up the tiny instrument, Light stared it, marveled. Staring at the three tongs poking out from the metal handle, the auburn-haired merman smiled as the steel glistened, designs twirling about the same handle.

"EEK!" Light spun around as Misa fell forward, the ship's left side buckling as it began to overturn. "LIGHT!"

"Misa-"

"LIGHT, LOOK OUT!"

Just as Misa cried out her warning, Light missed a flying piece of wood as it came soaring past both him and the manini fish, knocking them back into the large room of the sunken ship against the same window they had both entered as the ship continued to tumble over and over and over...

Light shivered as he fell back from the force of impact, his head pounding angrily as his eyes fluttered shut.

'Never should have… looked up…'


	14. More Than Just Words: Part I

A/N: Alright, I've got to say, my lack of energy is beginning to get the best of me, so if there are large lags (I mean, larger than usual o.o) in updating, know that I it is because I am extremely exhausted.

I hate to say this, because really I'm _me_ lol, but I think a tiny hiatus may be in store for the future for all my works. It's not to scare anybody, but I just _can't _keep going at the pace I'm going or I'll probably fall over unconscious in the near future. I post this as a warning, because I do so hate it when my favorite writers within this site fall off the face of the Earth and don't even post a tiny _something _for their readers to know that it might be necessary or if they're coming back or _anything_ really.

I'm not that kind of writer. You guys know this by now. Lol. But yeah. Don't hate the player, you guys. Hate the _game. _o.O;

Now to notes pertaining to the actual _story(ies)_. This is a mess compilation of drabbles set for the one-shots of this series and other variable stories I have written. I suppose you can think of it as a written collage… with quotes… yeah. Lmao. It'll be (supposed to be) two parts, so yeah. Enjoy. :)

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_More Than Just Words: __**Part I**_

* * *

"_Love that is not madness is not love at all._" –Pedro de la Barca

* * *

Raito blinked as he stared up at the man trapping him beneath their lanky, if surprisingly strong, body.

Dark eyes, eyes bathed in the obscurity of the night and as lifeless as many men strung across Kira's hopelessly never-ending line, traced the 17-year-old's every fine feature with a delicate intricacy that even Raito himself could not decipher.

A faint tickle of confusion tickled the back of Raito's head as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, trusting the man as implicitly as he _shouldn't_.

Not even yelping as a pair of lips smashed against his own, Raito felt his own hands trail upwards from their spot on the small of the other man's back up to his shoulder blades; the cool steel of the metallic 'bracelet' snaking its way up the pale stretch of bare skin.

Nonsense…

All this was and had ever been was pure and utter nonsense.

Yet why could neither man stop?

* * *

"_No question is so difficult to answer as that to which the answer is obvious._" –George Bernard Shaw

* * *

"Are you still refusing to answer the question?"

Light furrowed his brows as he stared over at his best friend of three years, the expression on his face angry and frustrated. Nothing but silence greeted him, however, as the dark-haired man on the other side of the table chose to stare down at his piece of cake and nibble on his thumb.

"I know it was sudden," the tawny-haired 23-year-old police officer murmured as he stirred his coffee, reddish-brown eyes still trying to catch the other man's infinitely darker gaze "but you could at least give me some sort of response."

Shifting slightly, a pale hand came forward and stabbed the piece of cake in front of them with a vengeful fork.

Light sighed as he dropped the spoon into his coffee with a small clunk, gathering his hat in his hand and dropping down a small amount of money with the other.

"When you're ready to answer me, L, I'll be just a phone call away."

Watching the younger man walk away, L held out his hand to stop him-

Only to drop it back down a second later.

Perhaps this was for the best…

'_And perhaps I'm an idiot in disguise_.'

Sighing to himself, L gave his cake one last stab before shoving the glomp of unrecognizable mush into his mouth.

At least he'd always have cake.

* * *

"_I do not want the peace that passeth understanding; I want the understanding that bringeth peace._" –Helen Keller

* * *

Dropping his pen, Light nearly screamed as a pale hand covered his eyes-

"Did I scare you, Light?"

Nearly elbowing the idiot behind him in the head, Light bit his lip in a form of restraint. A quirky smile appeared over his head as the cold hands were removed from his gaze, a gaunt angular face replacing the library's ceiling above him as the 13-year-old boy stared upwards.

"What are you doing here, L?" The exhausted child questioned suspiciously, knowing he had specifically told his much older care-taker he would be residing in the library for his studies and would _prefer _to not be disturbed.

"I merely wished to see how Light was doing," L impishly grinned as he sat down beside the irritated brunet, pushing his chair closer to the boy than what was both necessary and possibly socially-acceptable. "You have been in here for over seven hours. Did you not hear the maid when she called you down for lunch-"

"I was busy." Light snapped, his shaking fingers and trembling arms alluding to how tired he really was. "I'll eat something later."

"Light…" Pushing the large leather-bound book out of the teenager's hands, L ignored the death glare sent his way and practically pulled his young charge out of the chair he was now situated in. "I am sorry to say that it is time for bed."

"No!" Light struggled to get out of the older man's embrace, his red-rimmed brown eyes blurring over with exhaustive tears. "I don't want to go to bed! Please, don't make me!"

"Light?" Trying to get the boy's legs under control while still holding down the child's arms, L almost fell on his side as Light managed a punch to his face. "Light, please calm yourself before I have to resort to much more volatile measures to restrain you!"

"NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO-"

Yelping as the older man basically threw him onto the ground and slapped a hand over his mouth, all Light could fathom were the never-ending pair of gray eyes above him, his hysteria teetering on the brink of insanity.

'Why…'

Though he wished not to show such weakness, pools of darkened amber flooded with crystalline tears as Light turned his head to the side to try to hide the onslaught of despair coinciding with the crazy desperation clawing at his throat.

"_It's alright, Light_…"

The boy barely acknowledged the whisper into his ear as he closed his eyes, trembling.

'Why can't you just stay away?'

"_It's alright…_"

* * *

"_Hope is a waking dream._" –Aristotle

* * *

"Raito…"

_Soaked in blood; they were both soaked in blood. _

"Raito, please, we have some questions we would like for you to answer."

_The pain was indescribable. _

_The cries…_

_They were so loud._

"Yagami-san, please…"

_Dark eyes stared down upon them both, smiling. _

"I don't think he'll be much help yet, sir…"

_In his dreams, they both got up and walked out of the house, embracing each other. _

"The doctor says that the trauma maybe scarring; the longer he stays catatonic, the further he loses himself inside his own mind."

_In his dreams, they're both safe and unharmed. _

"Then I suppose we should hope for a quick recovery, shouldn't we?"

_In his dreams, he gets his happily ever after. _

_But it's always only in his dreams… _

"L…"

The monitor beside the near-comatose man began to pick up its pace as Raito took his first _real _breath in nearly three weeks.

_That he knows he's truly safe. _

* * *

"_One must desire something to be alive._" –Margaret Deland

* * *

Raito sighed as he stood out in the cold, large jacket hanging off of his frame in a rather unattractive way. Pressing himself further into the wall of the abandoned building, Raito wondered if L was going to take all night; what was supposed to be an in-and-out mission was now going on a near hour and a half, and he was (_much to his chagrin_) beginning to get worried.

Gripping the insides of his puffy pockets, the partially disoriented brunet stared at his own distorted reflection within the confines of the puddle directly next to his feet.

'_Is this what our lives have been boiled down to?_' Raito thought to himself. '_Sneaking into old buildings, rummaging through other people's things just to keep our freedom? Whatever happened to justice and who killed it?_'

Hand appeared over his shoulder in the puddle's image, making the 19-year-old spin around only to come face to face with the man he had been originally waiting for.

"Are you alright?" L asked, concern laced within his voice.

Brushing off the wayward care with a thoughtless hand-gesture, Raito glanced down at the file now settled within L's left hand.

"Is that…?"

L nodded before grabbing the younger man's arm and pulling him forward.

'_Could this be it?_' Raito wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.

With nothing but a straggling hope to hang onto, he didn't want to kill it before he at least got back to their apartment.

'Is it wrong to wish for more in life?' Raito used to ask himself as he stared at the walls of his shared room within Whammy's House, waiting for L to come and whisk him away.

Was it wrong…?

Raito still didn't know.

* * *

"_We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom._" –Stephen Vincent Benet

* * *

Still, they could not see him.

_Days turn into nights and nights into days and still he cries inside. _

He wondered at times if this were his own personal Hell; if this was the price he had to pay for having picked up that God forsaken (_God? The only Gods he knew of shouldn't have been called Gods at all…_) notebook and written down that first name.

_They walk past him and yet they will never see him; they cry, and he has to see it all. _

A middle-aged woman with short dark hair stared down at the sink before her, empty of dishes. Her hands, which were becoming old and shriveled, lay on the edge of the counter, shaking. Her eyes were dry but very, very red.

_He can never hold her ever again, though he has tried so many times to grab onto her, even in the briefest of touches. _

Walking past her, his translucent form wavers for a moment.

_Every day is another eternity for him. _

Making his way up the familiar stairs, his hair sways in an imaginary breeze he cannot even feel.

_Every day he waits for something he cannot explain. _

Not even pausing to grab the doorknob, he fazed through the door in front of him and entered the still very pink room, decorated to suit a girl half the young woman's age that was lying on the bed in the middle of the room.

_Every day he feels the pain of having to watch this degeneration through eyes that aren't quite eyes anymore. _

Long dingy hair hangs off the bed as 28-year-old woman stares vacantly at the wall just behind his head, her clothes large and baggy on her thin frame.

_But he will stay here. _

Sitting down on the floor in front of the blank-faced woman, he simply stares.

_He will stay because it is where he had done the most wrong-_

"Sayu…" He whispers, knowing that she cannot hear.

_And no matter what it is that calls to him to leave, he will not yield until the day both of these people are gone as well. _

Leaning forward he lets the strands of see-through hair fall over his eyes.

_It was, in essence, his last wish…_

"Light…"

_And even if they could never admit it, theirs as well._


	15. Lolita Complex: Part IV

A/N: Because I had one reviewer address this (and I didn't think to put up a note about it), I shall now proceed to explain just _why _I've titled this tiny series "Lolita Complex" (though I'm pretty sure I've spoken about it with a few of you, I just want to lay it out in the clear so that everyone gets it).

No, we are NOT going by the literal definition of what Lolita Complex actually _is _(which is the psychological complex within an older man who feels sexually attracted to young girls AKA pedo-bear come to life lawl). Instead the title is an homage to the book and the relationship the… _protagonist _(and I use that word extremely lightly lol) shares with the young girl in the book (Dolores better known as 'Lolita'). It is strange, parasitic and quite frankly more than just a little creepy; that is the feeling I want you to get when reading this series. I WANT you to get severely irked by the stuff you read here; and if you don't, then I just want you to enjoy the transitional relationship these two characters share (such is in Lolita).

No, L is NOT going to get it on with Sayu, if you don't get the above btw. Just felt I had to put that out there ^.^; but it doesn't mean this kind of relationship isn't going to get to you either. Don't forget that Raito here is _only_ 13 and has just **TURNED** 13. Some of you may think it's cute.

… … That's your prerogative to feel as such. Lol. Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Lolita Complex: __**Part IV**_

* * *

The click of the lock opening…

That was what truly awoke him.

Or at least…

That's what he would admit to.

_There's someone there, there's someone there, there's someone there…_

Light couldn't close his eyes again; the large weight of space hovering around him digging down on his body as he felt a set of eyes trace his small thin figure. His back to the door of his bedroom, the 13-year-old orphan (_he would always consider himself so_) lifted his legs up and clutched them to his chest, willing back the sting of tears prickling at his eyes.

_Go away, go away, go away…_

Footsteps began to reverberate throughout his room, the rich décor off-setting the feeling of discomfort gnawing at the boy's insides.

_I don't want this, please go away…_

A slim shadow hovered over Light's shaking form as his eyes finally closed on their own accord, the blankets pulled to his shoulders doing nothing to the freezing sensation curdling his insides. Cool fingertips lightly outlined the shape of the boy's arm through the thin sheet covering it, the sensation both unwanted yet comforting.

_If I just keep my eyes closed, maybe they'll all just go away…_

"Light…?" L's smooth voice carried easily through the darkness, the indifferent tone for once a welcomed distraction from the demons haunting the child's subconscious. "Miss Sayu informed one of the maids that she thought she heard screams coming from your room, but you had the door locked. Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." The strange hoarseness tinting the high-pitched pubescent voice was wavering at best, making the fingers still caressing his arm halt in their calming progression. "I'm fine, Mr. Lawliet. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Light; it is my duty to make sure you are taken care of."

Giving the man an edge-worthy glare that he was quite sure he couldn't see, the boy shuffled a bit away from the baritone echoing along with the footsteps coming closer to his bed. A light imprint settled over his sheets as the mattress dipped under the weight now settled over it. Freezing within the spot he was in, Light almost flinched as an arm came over his shoulders and practically hauled him over to where the older man was now situated.

"Didn't your mother tell you that if your face could become stuck that way if you kept it scrunched up for so long, Light?" The tiny brunet felt a part of him snap at the mention of his mother, but he kept it in. Easing out his smothered snarl, Light tried to relax himself in the other's embrace in hope that in doing so he would let go of him faster than if he resisted the token sign of affection. "What ails you at such an hour, Light?"

"Why do you keep doing this," Light whispered after a moment of silence, the darkness of the room weighing over his shoulders much more heavily the man's appendage. "You know everything about me without me even having to say a word. Why do you continue to prod at me as if you actually care, even though we both know you _don't_?"

"I care, Light." The serious dialect contradicted the borderline whimsical loftiness within L's tone of voice just seconds before, his dark gaze set upon the hazy-eyed boy still tinkering on the edge of sleepiness. "If you should not doubt anything, it is that I care."

Before L could move away from his embrace, Light, quite spontaneously on his own part, grabbed onto his care-taker's arm, tears still sparkling within his dulled brown eyes.

"Will you…"

"Yes?" L seemed to take great pleasure in his frustration, letting the word fall from his mouth in an elegant slur.

Light, still too blurred over by sleep and fear to find fault in what he was about to ask, merely curled closer around L's arm.

"Will you stay?"

L smiled as he took in the curve of his young charge's face, leaning down and pressing a small chaste kiss on his forehead.

Lying down beside the 13-year-old, L let the question hang as he closed his eyes and wrapped the tiny boy in his embrace.

Not even five minutes later, Light's own eyes closed on their own accord, the beat of his guardian's heart steadily thrumming against his ear as the sweet vestiges of unconsciousness lulled him into a deep, sound slumber.

* * *

The bright light filtering in through what he could only assume was his window hit Light in between the eyes, turning on his side and burying himself against the pillow tucked against his side.

Molten amber eyes popped open as a very masculine chuckle tinkled against the young boy's ear, the 'pillow' beside him vibrating from the force of said chuckles.

'_Please don't tell me he actually-shit! Wait! __**I**__ asked him to stay last night! What the hell is the matter with me?!_'

Obviously Light knew _why _he had asked the older man to stay; the fear from his nightmare (_memory_) had overpowered him until there was nothing left but the sniveling little eight-year-old boy that had lost his parents to circumstances beyond his control, and all he had been able to think about was how good it felt to be _held _and nothing else.

"Good morning, Light."

Not wanting to show anymore weakness, Light nodded before pushing off the covers from his body and crawling off the bed.

He tried not to concentrate on the charcoal gray eyes following his shivering figure as he swept into his personal bathroom, the echoing sensation of falling amplified by his slight disorientation.

'_No matter where I am, I won't ever be free._'


	16. Across the Universe: Part II

A/N: So, what does Hari-Aisu do when she doesn't know what to work on and her brain feels extra-frazzled?

She works on her one-shot collection of course. ^.^; I can't help it, these things were what helped me get into Death Note to begin with. Plus, this is one of my original A/U's so it gets even more love because of that fact. For those who've read CSS and still don't know which A/U this is, this is the Professor A/U (meaning L-Professor, Light-Student) and yes, that totally does sound kinky. Hahahahaha.

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own anything but the plot. FML thanks. T.T

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links **_

_Across the Universe: __**Part II**_

* * *

Dark eyes were nearly closed shut as a pale hand traced the smooth wood of the door in front of them, the bitter taste of regret basking infuriatingly over his tongue. L could already see the smirk on Raito's face as he opened the door, eyes trained down on the ground as the words "I told you so…" floated into his ears.

Was it really so bad that he just didn't want to hear it right now?

His hand didn't listen to his inner pleas, however, and L found himself staring through an open door and nearly empty hotel room. Sighing in annoyance, said professor trudged within the room and kicked the door closed behind him. Wandering through the large suite, L almost laughed as he found Raito in the same place he had imagined him to still be; comfortably settled on the large bed of their bedroom, smirk settled over his lips. His eyes however were fatigued, hinting at the jetlag still weighing down on the brunet's broad shoulders.

Without saying a word, L shucked off his battered sneakers and plopped right next to his high-maintenance lover. Auburn-colored hair was swept aside as he L's fingers became entangled within the lengthy wisps of bangs curled over Raito's bleary eyes, the teacher's own gaze becoming glassy as a result.

That smirk stayed right where it was though.

"Please get that insufferable look off of your face when I'm just about to take a nap. I'll think you're trying to give me nightmares." L cattily remarked before turning to his side, back facing the increasingly-aggravating college student behind him. A couple moments of pure silence was all L was afforded with before Raito's voice broke through the oppressive quiet settled between them, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.

"You feel like a jack-ass now, don't you?"

L grimaced as he turned back to his wayward lover who was still sprawled out on the bed as if he owned it. Narrow golden-brown eyes twitched before closing completely, turning away from the scraggly college professor gaping at him with nothing to say.

"Well, don't even _think _about apologizing; I don't even want to _hear _it!" Raito snapped as he burrowed into his blankets, shivering as if the hotel room dropping down in temperature as he did so. "You barely even hear the word 'father' and you automatically presume that any behavior you exhibit will be pushed aside; you've been through a lot, L, but you're not the ONLY person in the world with issues of the parental kind!"

Hanging his head in shame, L nodded resolutely. His pride wouldn't allow him to verbally agree with the younger man but he could at least physically show that he understood what Light had meant by his statement.

"I get that you're upset and I know that he hurt you, but think… would your mother really want to see you act this way? Raging at everybody, even the people who are trying to _help _you?"

'Of course not,' L wanted to reply, but he knew he situation wasn't so simple as to need such a flippant answer. Flickering his eyes from Raito's face to his neck, L's eyes seemed to glow with affection as a familiar ring was settled neatly on a chain (much like a pendant); resting gently below the clavicle he nibbled on a daily basis.

"I would have loved for her to have met you." L commented off-handedly. "I think she would have liked you a lot more than she did me."

"Don't be an idiot, L." Raito calmly flicked the older man on her forehead, eyes finally closing for the last time that night.

Instead of becoming annoyed by the gesture, L bit back his quirky grin and closed his own eyes.

He hadn't realized just how tired he was until just then.


	17. Bottomless Blue: Part III

A/N: I should be working on something else…

But I just love this universe. It's such a weird twisted version of the Disney classic… similar, yet not the same. I love it. :3

C'mon, you know you love it too. ;-)

Disclaimer: Don't own DN or "The Little Mermaid". I just like to fuck with their characters and plot. A LOT. ^.^

* * *

Title: _**Broken Links**_

_Bottomless Blue_: _**Part III**_

* * *

Light groaned as he finally felt himself come to, the blinding pain behind his eyes causing him to stumble forward and hit the piles of rock and moss settled beneath him

"Light…?"

Pushing his body up with strength he didn't realize he had just quite yet, Light glanced up and stared at the small manini fish twirling around him in a daze.

"I _huuuuurt_ Light…" Misa moaned in pain, a small bruise against her left side highlighting just where it was she 'hurt'. "Are you ok Light?"

Flicking out his fin so as to straighten himself up, Light slowly nodded. "I've been better, but I'll live. I don't see any blood, so…"

"Maybe we should go back to the palace?" Misa haltingly requested, her body screaming with aches and pains. "I'm really tired Light."

Humming out of habit, Light checked to see if he still had the small bag he had come with (_still safely tucked beneath his elbow, thank Poseidon_) and floated upwards, gazing up at the ocean boundaries and shocked to see the Sun's rays bounding down upon them from the surface.

"Misa…" Light crooned. "How long do you think we've been knocked out?"

"I don't know, a little while?" Misa tapped her bruise with one of her fins, eyes narrowed with irritation. "Why?"

"Look up Misa."

Slowly glancing up, a distorted look of fear began to creep over Misa's chubby face as she too noticed the beams of light reflecting down into the waters.

"… … _Holy Barnacles on a barnacle sandwich!_"

* * *

"WHERE IN SEVEN OCEANIC HELLS IS HE?"

"I don't know your majesty!" Teru cried out as he ducked behind Sayu's floating tendrils of hair, though just as irritated as his king, not nearly as forbidding about. "I did not see him come in last night nor did I see him at rehearsal, but I assumed that he was simply getting ready on his own! Light has been known to do that on several occasions sir!"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TERU! I WAS HUMILATED, _HUMILATED_, IN FRONT OF MY OWN SUBJECTS AND YOU CANNOT EVEN TELL ME WHERE MY SON IS, LET ALONE WHERE HE COULD BE!"

"Daddy, please calm down…" Sayu whispered as she held onto her father's arm, attempting to pacify the enraged king before he did something that both he _and _Light would come to regret. "I'm sure he was held up or… maybe he was even hurt…?"

"THIS IS LIGHT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF!" Shrugging off his only daughter, Soichirou held onto his trident with a maddening grip, it's eerie glow tipping off just how angry he actually was. Taking in a deep breath as soon as he noticed the scandalized look on his youngest child's face, Soichirou attempted to calm his own temperament and speak as rationally as he could. "I-I apologize, dear. I just do _not _appreciate being _humiliated _in front of all the nobles within the ocean seas! That boy needs a lesson in respect! He had done this _far _too many times to be taken seriously in any way!"

"But father, don't you think you should at least listen to what he may have to sa-"

"SILENCE!" The king's bass-like voice echoed throughout the palace and into the far-reaches of the sea, stunning multitudes of sea-creatures into a halting quiet. "I don't care _what _he has to say! Everyone, go and search for my son, the heir to the crown of Atlantica, Prince Light; whoever brings him to me shall be rewarded beyond compare!"

Sayu backed away from her father in a submissive gesture that didn't quite become her; had Light had been there he would have scolded her for taking their father's words with little fight of her own. But that was what differentiated the two of them. Whereas Light would fight for his opinion to be heard and be taken seriously Sayu would settle into the background and swim away from confrontation altogether.

Hoping that her older brother would not be hurt too badly by what her father would do, Sayu prayed to the ocean god that he would take pity on Light.

He was her only pillar of support in this damning castle after all.

* * *

"Light, we have to get back to the castle! The musical and you're father's party-"

"We've probably already missed it by now." Light stated logically, swimming _away _from the castle. "Look at the sun; the time has come to pass where the musical would have started. And if that rumbling earlier was any indication, then when we get home, I won't be allowed out for a long while."

"But if we tell him the _truth-_"

"What, that we both got hurt in a debilitating sunken ship? How worried would he be once he found out we were scrounging through human artifacts Misa? He'd be even _more _infuriated than he is _now_." Light smiled slightly as he began to swim closer towards the surface, the familiar rock causing his excitement to grow in bounds. "While I have the time to spare I might as well visit Matsuda and do some surface explorations of my own. Nobody would even _think _to look for us up here!"

Misa sighed as she toddled after her friend, hoping against hope that whatever the king had planned for them would not be as painful as she was sure it would be.

* * *

"LIGHT!"

The auburn-haired merman winced as a large seagull laughed at his sudden emergence, the ruffled feathers and large tube set against his eye a strange addition to the bird's appearance.

"Ahoy there!" Matsuda yelled out as he flapped a wing,

"Hey Matsuda." Light genially waved back, holding back his laughter as Matsuda continued to squawk indignantly, eye still trained through the tiny hole at the end of the tube he was holding. "What are you doing?"

"Watchin' out for intruders of co-WOAH! How did you get here so fast?" Matsuda exclaimed as he finally put down the tube, eyes wide with surprise. "You're a fast one, Light!"

"Right…" Light was sure it was better to just not ask. "I came by with some new things, Matsuda but I have to be quick! My father is… really not in the best of moods right now."

"Whatcha do, miss out on one of his concerts again?" For someone so dimwitted at times, Light was amazed by how perceptive Matsuda could be in instances like these. Instead of say so, the merman shrugged. "Not the first time, won't be the last."

"Right…" Matsuda stole Light's own exasperated response. "Now what do you have to show me, Princely Prince?"

"Here!" Shoving his bag into Matsuda's face, Light grinned as the seagull took out the aforementioned object that had caused him to miss his father's royal obligations in the first place. "Oh my… it's a dingle-hopper!"

"A dingle-hopper?" Though the royal merman hated sounding as if he _didn't _know what thins were, Light knew in this case it was not by his own fault that he was ignorant of the object's name and use. "What do they use it for?"

"Uh… To uh… do their… hair! Yeah, to do their hair!" Ruffling the silver instrument through Light's own silky locks, the young merman smiled as he reached for the dingle-hopper and held it to his face with both hands.

"A dingle-hopper…"

"Uh, Light…?"

"Yeah, Misa?"

The golden fish created a small splash as she jumped in fear, causing the prince to turn his head to where Misa was 'pointing' to and nearly diving back into the water in shock. "A ship! And it's coming right this way!"

"Light, we have to _go _now!" Misa screeched, ducking back into the water with a speed that belied her small stature.

"Crab-cakes! I've got to go, Matsuda! Bye." Jumping back into the water before the large ship got a clear shot of either Light or Misa, the light-haired prince sighed as he stared up at the sailing monstrosity now directly above them.

'I wish I didn't have to hide…' Light thought to himself as he swam deeper into the ocean, golden-brown eyes full of curiosity and lament. 'Maybe one day…'

Holding onto his tiny bag, Light snuck around the coral and sea-rocks, hoping to at least make it but into his grotto before he was apprehended.

Knowing his father, his patience was probably nil at this point.


	18. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE BIATCHES!**

DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET?

Goodie. ^.^

Now, there has been some very stringent nastiness going around FFdotnet this past year and it has been, luckily enough, tossed my way before any damage could be done to me. I've spoken about this in plenty of author's notes but I suppose this is the real deal.

I have created a livejournal account (OMG MY SWORN NEMESIS NOOOESSSS!) and have decided to discontinue my FFdotnet account. All of my work will be transferred to my livejournal and future updates shall be continued there once I am settled in and everything has been moved. I will not delete my account but I will also not re-make it should it be deleted by personnel within the website and douches working with them.

Various readers have been reporting stories and authors due to what they feel is 'disturbing' or 'overly mature' content that should not be shared on FFdotnet. I have done my own part to try to stifle down the onslaught of assholes making it harder for the rest of us fanfic writers but I also am not going to let someone demolish my work simply because they do not like it. It's not what I stand for and I am not someone who takes such things lying down peacefully. Please, if you know of such people contact other writers, contact FFdotnet workers via the links provided overhead and don't let such people censor whatever it is they want to based on their own personal opinion and no one else's. Discrimination should never be tolerated, especially when it comes to the basis of stories which don't have to be read if the reader feels they do not want to, whether the content be 'disturbing' or not. :-P

The link to my livejournal is on my profile page. If anything is to happen to said profile page just type 'hari_aisu' in the livejournal search; you'll find me if you look for me. :)

Once again, I thank you guys for all the support you've given me on this site. If you wish to contact me you can still PM me; I will still answer any and all review/messages/emails and my aim is still the same. I hope all of my readers continue to follow me, whether you have a livejournal or not.

So in classic Hari-Aisu flourish-

THANKS YOU GUYS. YOU KNOW MAMA LOVES YOU LOOOOOOOONG TIIIIMMMMEEEEE! XD


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